Until the end and beyond
by Angyield
Summary: Though they did not say it out loud, each of them made a promise. They would follow each other until the end, no matter what was on their way. Until the end and beyond, they would remain together. A collection of one-shots, drabbles and prompts centered around our favorite crew. Last published: #5: What if that one thing never happened?
1. Brook: Death's sweet embrace

Hi! After many deliberations with myself, I've decided to publish a collection of one-shots, shorts drabbles and everything that I get inspiration for about our favorite crew. Originally I wanted to do one only centered around Sanji and then, since I will surely have many things that I want to write in the future about every single one of them, why not publish something a bit more general. Rating might evolve depending on what I'll write.

I will accept **prompts** and **ideas** , or things that you would like to be written. Angst, humor, character study, specific story or idea, hurt, comfort, something centered about a particular member of the crew or relationships between them, I take it all. No romance though, only gen (except for canon relationships), as long as it is about one of the member of the crew. I don't make any promises as sometimes an idea might not inspire me much but send it anyway, it's always interesting to have requests and prompts.

Please keep in mind that English is not my first language, so spelling and grammar mistakes, blah blah blah.

* * *

 _Title:_ Death's sweet embrace  
 _Rating:_ T  
 _Genre:_ Characters study, slight angst  
 _Word count:_ 1,591  
 _Warnings_ : excessive mention of death (obviously), very very very slight spoilers about the recent chapters  
 _Characters:_ Brook, mentions of the entire crew  
 _Summary:_ Brook could see things. Something that no else could see, something that surrounded them.

* * *

It is said that when someone is living their last breaths, every single moment of their existence will pass before their eyes. For others, they say you will see a light, or someone pulling you to guide you to the unknown. No one can and has confirmed or denied this, as no one can be dead and yet alive to tell the tale.

Brook knew. Brook knew and saw it all. The man remembered the moment his own soul left his body and wandered for so long that time itself didn't exist anymore, only to find a pile of bones with nothing to hold them together. He knew Death and had seen what was 'beyond'. At least he liked to think he did. He didn't know if he truly died and went to what was called 'the other side' because he had no memories of such a thing. Had he doubtlessly died and then been brought back or had his soul just left his body only to aimlessly drift along the waves of this world? Was he dead and alive?

Still, there was a faint memory in his mind. Just before everything went black and his spirit was pulled from his body, he saw something. Like a silhouette reaching out to him, welcoming him to Death's sweet embrace. And a laugh, a playful one that he would sometimes hear when he walked on his ghost ship during decades of loneliness. And every now and then, he swore he could perceive a figure in the corners of the crumbling boat, always reaching out, always laughing, but it quickly vanished when he got closer. Death was toying with him, mocking him for having survived when his only wish was to die alongside his comrades, but what he didn't know is that Death was almost bursting with the desire to get him, the only one who had escaped.

When Brook joined the Straw Hats, he realized that he wasn't the only one that Death yearned for.

He didn't notice right away as he was too overwhelmed with the feeling of sailing again with people he could call his family but he did two years after, when they all got reunited. After a while, he understood that his version of Death wasn't the only one, as each of his crew mates had its shadow surrounding them. He was the only one who noticed the presence, perhaps he was the only one able to see it. So sometimes, Brook opened his eyes without actual eyelids a bit more (Skull joke!) and observed.

Death, when following Usopp, looked very much like an old man that was almost dying himself, with sunken cheeks and glassy eyes, supporting itself on a wooden cane, which looked like it could collapse at any moment, much like its owner. The reaper looked sick and suffering, which made Brook wondered if the sniper's relatives had died from sickness or maybe he should have died from it himself and escaped. Yet, despite its loss, Death wore a sinister grin but never did anything, just following Usopp's steps and did the same for Nami. When it did, it took the appearance of a quite massive man whose face remained hidden ; it was like looking at a dense mist for Brook. He could only notice the sharp and triangular teeth that were constantly smirking. But again, with these two, it never did anything. Just silently chasing and from time to time, it raised a hand to brush Nami's tangerines or Usopp's plants to take life. Death had touched and continued to do so people and things that they held dear but never touched them. It wasn't their time, but Death was patient.

It was much more hostile around Chopper. Appearing as an old witch-like woman, it never approached him too much, just staring and frowning, seemingly resentful towards the reindeer. One could have thought that the sick bay would have been its preferred place in the ship, but it wasn't the case as Chopper was a skilled doctor and had saved so many lives, taking them back right when Death was going to grab them away. Chopper's dream was Death's greatest nightmare and yet it never tried to take him either. Brook wondered why.

Robin's version was like a mirror of herself and the musician wasn't surprised about that. He knew she had killed many to survive without any hesitation, thus becoming one of Death's most valuable supporters and from what she had told him, she had been ready to sacrifice her life to protect the crew once. Nonetheless, this lookalike was becoming more and more disfigured. It walked just beside her, as an equal, but it was starting to fall behind. Perhaps Robin knew she didn't have to kill anymore, only to protect them. Robin had Death for companion, just like Sanji. For him, it was a sweet and delicate looking lady and it was almost a shame that he could not see it as Brook was sure he would have fallen in love with its pure face right away. But its smile was as innocent as it was vicious and it constantly tried to pull him towards it, touching him and putting its thin arms around him like Sanji was embracing Death as his raison d'être. Brook preferred not to ask, Sanji wouldn't understand what he was able to see and the skeleton was almost afraid to do so. Sometimes it was best not to pry his friends' inner demons.

Brook noted with a feeling of pride in his empty chest (Oh, another skull joke!) that Franky, Zoro and Luffy were defying Death's presence without noticing it. For Franky, it was a kid that looked very much like him, bruises and open wounds covering its entire body as if it had been violently hit by something at massive speed, and it never stopped screaming at him, like a child throwing a tantrum. But every time, Franky raised his sunglasses with his thumb and grinned like a mad man in such a way that he seemed to taunt Death, saying _"See, you didn't take me when I was a kid. You lost your chance, too bad for you!"_. For Zoro, it was a slender man with eyes that reminded Brook of a savage bird and it just stared, trying to think of a way to deceive him because it had failed before. Brook remembered this moment very well because he had been a witness to it. Sometimes during his meditation, Zoro would suddenly open his now single eye and fix an empty spot in the crow's nest, sensing something without seeing it. Thus began a staring contest between the two, except that the swordsman wasn't aware of it.

And for Luffy, it was someone much bigger and stronger than him. It was towering him and the captain looked so small next to its figure that Brook couldn't help but think about the stories of his native West Blue speaking of a giant struck down by a mere boy. Because Luffy kept ignoring and moving on, laughing and smiling with defiance because Death couldn't slay the King.

Of course, none of them were able to see it. Perhaps they could sense something around them, but Brook wasn't even sure of that.

As for him, for decades, it kept eyeing him from afar so he wasn't surprised when one night it approached him, both of them staring at the waves and listening to the soft tune he was playing on his violin.

"Hello to you, my dear old friend."

Death chuckled. Old was not even the right word for it, but it was for Brook as it had been the companion that had stayed for the longest time with him.

"After all these years together, you did not change a bit. I quite like the new look though."

Brook titled his hat as a thankful gesture. They did not speak for a few minutes, comfortable with the melody.

"You do realize that I will take them with me one day, don't you? And you won't be able to follow them, as your cursed fruit is stopping me from touching you."

"I do. I will find a way so they won't have to leave me behind."

"I am looking forward to that day."

"..."

"..."

"You had plenty of opportunities to take them away, even before I met them. Why didn't you?"

Death looked pensive for a moment. The skeleton stopped playing, slightly turning towards it. Funny how he looked more dead than Death itself. The latter smiled, a warm smile that had nothing to do with the ones it usually did.

"I guess I am curious of what is going to happen. It's been so long since I've met such interesting people like them. I grew fond of them eventually. Maybe it's why I like toying with them so much."

It sighed, then took a few steps back from the railing, turning its eyes away from the horizon. It slowly got down the stairs, its steps only heard by Brook and no one else.

"Do not worry, I will not bring them with me to what you call the other side. Not yet. I will try to make them live a little more. I've never had so much fun in a while."

In a blink of an eye, it was gone. Brook stayed stunned for a moment. If he had lips, he would have smiled. The Straw Hats, protected by Death itself. What a laughable irony.

* * *

Based on a headcanon of mine that Brook can see dead people since he is dead himself, so I expanded a bit around that, trying to explore each of the Straw Hats' relationship with death. Chopper is pretty obvious, Nami and Usopp for the dead loved ones, Robin and Sanji for their respective pasts (and his self-sacrifying personnality for Sanji) and Franky, Zoro and Luffy have survived from something that should have killed them.

A review is always nice to know what you thought of it! Don't forget that you can leave a prompt, either here via reviews, pm or via my tumblr (a-ngyie).


	2. Nami&Sanji: For all the sacrifices

Thanks to everyone that left a kind review and/or favorited and followed! I hope you'll enjoy this one!

 _Title:_ For all the sacrifices he made for them  
 _Rating:_ T  
 _Genre:_ Gen  
 _Word count:_ 1,727  
 _Warnings:_ spoilers for the current arc and recent chapters  
 _Characters:_ Nami, Sanji  
 _Summary:_ For all the sacrifices he made for them, she could make a little one for him.

* * *

 _"He's heavy!"_ was Nami's first thought as she hoisted their imbecile cook on her back. The walls and the ceiling around her were threatening to fall apart at any moment and the floor underneath her feet was roaring. She needed to get out of here fast. She didn't know what was happening on this island, though it wasn't difficult to get the idea. Luffy didn't waste time to wreck havoc on Germa Kingdom. Yet, she couldn't repress the unpleasant feeling that was growing more and more in her chest. Both Big Mom and the Germa 66 army might be a bit tough to take on for them, as much as she hated to admit it. Nevertheless, nothing stopped them from getting back one of their own before. She could only hope that Luffy would make the smart decision so they could all escape safe and sound. He might be an idiot, but she never hesitated to put her faith in him.

Speaking of one of their own... She had found their current troublemaker, just like she had wanted to... Except that he was unconscious and covered in bruises and blood, probably with a few broken bones as well, unaware of the structure about to collapse, as if his opponent had left him there to take care of him later. She had managed to sneak inside the main castle unnoticed, certain that Sanji was here. He wasn't on Whole Cake Island despite everything they had been through to get to him. After many struggles, they quickly realized that fighting every single enemy that stood in their way was a waste of precious time and they didn't have much of it. She remembered that dread that had made her shudder up to her bones when they thought that Robin was going to be wrenched away from them. It was like Enies Lobby all over again, they could only run and fight, and hope that they would be fast enough. She didn't even want to think about what could happen if they didn't.

 _"Only you can find Sanji and bring him back home, Nami! I'm counting on you!"_

She disliked having so much pressure on her shoulders, their cook's fate depended on her. But, as they said, captain's orders. She would carry Sanji, no matter how heavy he was on her shoulders.

His arms fell around both sides of her neck up to her chest ( _"This is the closest he will get to it and he's not even awake..."_ She thought with slight amusement.), his head rested forward on her shoulder and she could feel faint breaths against her nape. She winced; he looked and sounded like he was on death's doorsteps and there was nothing she could do. His life was in her hands.

So she lifted him and started walking. His feet were dragging across the floor because of his endlessly long legs and slowing her, but she didn't pay attention. It would not stop her. Rubbles were falling from the ceiling, sometimes scraping her bare arms or her cheeks. She could feel a thin trail of blood sliding down her face. But she kept going. The cook was a total dead weight on her bent and tormented back and she sometimes had to stop for a few seconds as he was about to fall. But she kept going. Never dropping him, never slowing down. Each of her muscles hurt, but she wouldn't stop.

"Na-Nami... Leave me... Or you're going to get crushed..."

Another explosion far away almost prevented her from hearing his hissed whispers. The building growled once more, louder than before, but she only had ears for his pained voice.

"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to leave you there, everyone is waiting to beat you up because you're an idiot so we're getting out!"

Namely, she had a lot of beating up and scolding to do. She just didn't want to show him any weakness right now so she preferred yelling at him. Truth was, she felt any hope she had shattering, ready to break at any moment. Seeing him so wounded made her want to fall apart, he was one of the pillars of their little family, always here to save the day, strong enough to protect them, smart enough to deceive their enemies. But she swallowed back her tears. She still had his sweet smile in her mind, promising them to be back, even though his eyes had been lying at that moment. He had been ready to sacrifice himself, _once again_ , and he was doing it again now.

"When are you going to understand that your life is as valuable as ours, Sanji?" She muttered, but didn't receive an answer. He seemed to have fallen into deep slumber again.

She finally got out of an almost endless corridor, after what seemed hours of difficult walking and dragging his almost corpse. ( _"Don't think about things like that, Nami..."_ She said to herself.) She stumbled upon totally destroyed stairs and unfortunately, it was the only way out, she was sure of it. Now, what to do?

"Apparently, a sly cat managed to steal what supposedly belongs to the Vinsmokes."

She jumped, so abruptly that Sanji let out a pained groan. A man with curly eyebrows was standing behind her, right at the entrance of the corridor she had come from. Which one was it? Ichiji, Niji? How long had he been following her? He was slowly applauding, falsely impressed with a mocking smile.

"Unfortunately for her, I'm here to take it back."

Nami gritted her teeth, anger burning in her eyes. How could this guy talk about his brother that way? She knew nothing about Sanji's childhood, but the more she learned, the more she wanted to beat them up. And the worse was that he had never mentioned it. "Hey guys, I had a really shitty childhood with a fucked up family of assassins!" Somehow she understood why he didn't. However, they were going to have a long talk after the end of this. She grabbed her Climat Tact with her right hand, holding Sanji's arm with her left one.

"You can try if you want."

"How about a deal? I've heard you are a quite greedy woman."

How dared he!... Did he just think he could buy Sanji from her? She frowned and glared, almost growling like a feral cat she was nicknamed after. She knew she was blushing from a whole myriad of emotions. Humiliation, hatred, but also fear.

"Now, don't make that face. I'm just offering you a chance to run away with your prize, like a good thief."

Bargain? Yes, she could do that, it was her specialty. But she had nothing to offer. She stayed silent for a few minutes, staring intensely at her enemy. Then she decided.

Sanji's life was not something to put a price on.

"How about you get lost?"

She didn't want to listen to his conditions. She didn't want to listen to him at all. She was getting out of this hell with Sanji and this guy wasn't going to stand in her way.

"Na... Nami, let me deal with him..."

The weight on her back shifted. The idiot was trying to straighten himself. He could barely stand, but he did, sliding down his arms from her shoulders, pushing her behind him. His eyes were unfocused, his legs were shaking with exhaustion and drops of blood were falling one by one and tainting the stone floor. Somehow it ignited her anger even more. She didn't spend two years alone only to be pushed aside.

She acted fast. Tripping him was an easy task. He started to fall, as if in slow motion and before he did, she pushed him behind her. She gave another slight push, towards the broken stairs. It was alright. He would survive the fall, it was only a floor. They had worse, _he_ had worse. He might get knocked out once again from the impact, but if Nami was sure of one thing, it was that the crew wasn't far behind. Someone would find him. It was just how they worked, relying on each other.

It took him a few seconds to realize her intentions and when he did, it was already too late. He was already falling down below. His face distorted into a heartbreaking and horrified expression. He reached out to her, screaming her name. She gave him her sweetest smile.

"You get out of here, Sanji. Those are the captain's orders."

He disappeared from her view.

"So that's your way of stalling for time! Do you really think you can defeat me," the assassin laughed, "thief? Once I'm done with you, I'll come back for him."

She swallowed with difficulty. Her smile was gone now. Deep inside, she knew he was right. There was no way she'd win, unless a miracle happened. Yet, she gripped her staff even harder with newfound determination. She thought about Sanji, his many sacrifices. That time he threw himself before Enel in Skypiea, that time he got stabbed protecting her during Thriller Bark, that time he stood between Kuma and Brook and Usopp at Sabaody. That time he kicked them out of Capone's body. She couldn't win and yet...

 _"For all the sacrifices he made for us, I can make a little one for him."_

She looked around her. Everything was falling apart. Perhaps it was only a few minutes before the building totally collapsed. It was a fine castle, the one where Sanji had grown up. Too bad it had met her wrath.

She twirled her staff between her fingers, calling the weather for help. Clouds began to form above their heads.

"Hmm? What are those for? Trying to bring me down with thunder?"

"If I can, that's surely a bonus. I'm going to bring this whole place down a bit faster. Surely you wouldn't mind staying with me to enjoy the show?" She smirked.

She was going to destroy everything, even if it meant burying herself under the ruins. She had to make sure her opponent, even if it was _Sanji's brother_ , went down with her.

She would destroy it all, Sanji's childhood home, all those awful memories he had and his ties with his family. He would come home with her, knowing that nothing would threaten him again.

* * *

Everyone needs a badass Nami and a reverse situation. I wonder if Oda will do something like that during this arc.

Don't forget that you can send me prompts, ideas, suggestions of things you'd like to be written~ I might not write them all depending on my inspiration but I'll promise to try every single one of them!


	3. Franky: How to take care of your cyborg

Thank you to everyone that left favorited and/or followed~

 _Title:_ How to take care of your cyborg  
 _Rating:_ T  
 _Genre:_ Gen (attempt at humour I guess)  
 _Word count:_ 1,475  
 _Characters:_ Franky, the Straw Hats  
 _Summary:_ Having a cyborg onboard wasn't always all fun and games.

* * *

Waking up early and alone didn't disturb Sanji in the slightest. Sleep wasn't something he was used to have a lot and he could function with a small amount of it. Plus, getting up to prepare a breakfast worthy of his skills and reputation and watching the delight on his crew mates' faces was enough of a reward. However, it didn't mean that waking up was any easier for him than for anyone else. It took time. His internal clock never failed him to wake him up at the same hour each day and he had to literally drag himself out of bed, his eyes squinting and almost entirely closed. Good thing he knew the layout of the ship by heart, he could reach the galley without opening them. He closed the men dorm's door behind him and stretched his limbs, before going up the stairs that led to the kitchen and...

... And splendidly face-plant on the deck. With a groan that was anything but gentlemanlike, Sanji lifted himself from the wooden surface, his face red with anger (And pain. His nose hurt like hell now.) and ready to kick the shit out of anything that had been on his way - probably one of Usopp's newest inventions, he was leaving them everywhere, only to be greeted by quite a peculiar sight.

"... What are you even doing, shitty cyborg?"

The anger of his violent awakening faded away. The future Pirate King's shipwright was totally sprawled out on the grass of the Thousand Sunny on his back, his imposing arms outstretched on either side of his head, and he didn't seem to have even flinched when Sanji has tripped on his legs. Instead, he was staring at him with a weird look, as if he was saying Sanji was the one ridiculous in this situation.

"I'm watching the sky, can't you tell?"

"... Alright. Have fun being sentimental or whatever."

"You're being really suuuper dumb, cook-bro. I just can't move at all."

That made Sanji stop. Indeed, when taking another glance at his crew mate, he seemed to have been there for a long time and his body looked completely stiff. If he was looking at him, his head wasn't turned towards him. Overall, Sanji had never seen him that calm, but he wasn't an idiot and he knew something was wrong with the cyborg, something that was way out of his expertise.

"Why didn't you yell or something? And whoever was on watch didn't see you?"

"Oh yeah, super idea, why couldn't I think of that sooner?"

"You're being awfully sarcastic for someone who's totally incapacitated, you know that?"

"Not my fault you ask dumb questions. And I think Zoro has fallen asleep on watch again, so no, no one saw me."

"I'm going to kick his ass later. I'll call Chopper."

"No need. I know exactly what's wrong, I just need help to fix it."

"... Let's be clear, I'm not sticking my hands in your body."

"..."

"... That didn't sound so weird in my head. Whatever, I'll carry you to the infirmary and we'll wait for everyone to wake up."

Sanji ended up carrying the shipwright to his workshop upon his request and it was a tedious process as Sanji had forgotten that cyborg meant 'made out of fucking metal' and metal is heavy. With swears and insults that would even shock a sailor, he finally dropped him on the table in the workshop with a loud crashing noise and left him there, ordering him with an accusing and pissed off finger to 'just stay there and wait for the others'. Alright. It's not like he could do anything else.

The rest of the crew not being early birds, Franky waited once more, but he was getting used to it. They finally showed up almost all at once with concerned looks on their faces, Chopper the first in line. They assaulted him with questions and it seemed that Sanji had made it sound like worse than it was. Then Zoro entered the room last, minutes after everyone else, yawning and stretching.

"What are you all doing here, that's not where breakfast is."

He was greeted with stares full of blame and bewilderment. How could someone be so dense and yet so aware of their enemies and goals at the same time?

They ended up forming a circle around Franky, still sprawled on the metal table when he asked them to, once that Zoro and Sanji's morning bickering was over.

"Alright, so basically, I didn't notice, but the fight we had with those lame pirates yesterday did more damage than I thought and it kind of screwed up a few wires and everything, and now I just can't move. I just need your help to fix it and check if there's anything else that need to be changed."

"I hope you do realize whose help you're asking. To do precise work that requires no mistake. Us," Nami pointed out.

"Don't worry sis, I have faith in you! It's super easy, I'll tell you exactly what to do, you'll see!"

They all grabbed different kinds of screwdrivers and tools and got to work, hesitant to touch anything even with Franky's optimism.

"It's too early in the morning for this…" Usopp muttered.

"Maybe for you, but I'm having fun, look!"

"I don't pretend to have any knowledge about this, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have that in your hands, Luffy, just put it back where you found it," Nami urged him.

"Alright," The future pirate King complied and dropped it without a care in the open panel in Franky's back. It continued its fall inside, loudly clattering against other artificial parts of the cyborg's body. "Oops, my bad."

Once the captain was kicked in the head for his stupidity, they tried to follow Franky's advice and instructions. Zoro and Sanji's expressions were for once mirroring each other, standing next to each other and exchanging puzzled looks over Franky's open panel on his left arm. Zoro's monstrous strength ripped something off at some point and Sanji urged him to just put it back when he realized Franky was too busy to notice. The latter was occupied with Chopper and Usopp on his right arm that were probably the most diligent and capable students of this little improvised 'How to fix a cyborg' class. Meanwhile, Robin was, with a devious grin, using her multiple hands inside his open back under Brook's supervision (and maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave the two of them on their own, as they were having way too much fun probing and poking everything without any consideration) while Nami was trying to read the blueprints of the artificial body, turning the sheets every so often. As for Luffy… Well, they were all trying to keep him from destroying everything.

They thought everything was going well, until all Hell broke loose when Nami suddenly screamed.

"Oh my god Usopp, you took off his nose!"

"Holy shit, I'm holding his freaking nose in my hand!"

"Don't fucking drop it, moron!"

"Don't throw my nose awa-JUST GIVE IT BACK!"

"My my, that is quite an interesting panel here, what's underneath it?"

"Robin, Franky isn't your new morbid interest, just stop that."

"There's something leaking from there and it's not cola, I can tell you that much."

"But I can, and it's booze."

"Hey, moss head, check this out."

"Why is there so many wires?!"

"I have a better idea: let's cut everything."

"Zoro, you get down from this table right now or else I'll make you fly all the way back to the East Blue with a lifetime worth of debts."

That is when all hopes for a peaceful day vanished.

"We're never doing this again. Never again. Franky, next time, you make sure everything is clear before going to bed and you fix yourself alone," Sanji huffed, collapsed in a corner of the room, hours and hours after the actual repairs actually started. They all were covered in oil and grease, messy hair and tired looks, and Usopp had even a bit of his clothes burned. Only Franky was up with a beaming smile and shining limbs under the stares of complete bafflement and annoyance of his crew.

"Actually, now that I think of it, it'll be much easier for me if you helped me like, once a month, to do the maintenan-"

"I said: never again."

'Never again' quickly became 'Why are we doing this again?' the next month and the ones that followed. Needless to say that the ship became filled with screams and fighting (and for unknown reasons explosions and fires from time to time) for the whole day each time and in the midst of the mayhem, it was quite the bonding experience.

* * *

I had fun with this one. I figured, being a cyborg must bring its share of problems.

You can always send request or ideas of things you'd like to be written!


	4. Usopp: Thanks for always believing in me

Thank you to everyone that favorited and/or followed~

 _Title:_ Thanks for always believing in me  
 _Rating:_ K  
 _Genre:_ Gen (you could read it as Usopp/Kaya too, if you want)  
 _Word count:_ 2,135  
 _Characters:_ Franky, the Straw Hats  
 _Summary:_ Despite the ocean between them, they helped each other towards their dreams.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

It's been only a few days since you left the village. People are starting to ask questions, you left in such a hurry, but I promised I won't tell them anything about what happened. Carrot, Onion and Pepper won't stop coming to the mansion despite Merry's protests. I don't mind, they mean well. They are trying to replace your presence.

Speaking of the mansion, _it feels empty since Kla_ It feels empty. I already miss your stories. But I want to be as brave as you are now, I won't dwell in a corner anymore. I talked with the town's doctor, he's willing to teach me. Can you believe it?

I've never felt this light in a long time. I am doing so much better now, I wish you could witness it with your own eyes, yet I know it's better that you don't. We both have years before us to work for our goals and dreams and I don't doubt that we will reach them. We need to accomplish these things ourselves.

You will certainly never read those letters. I won't send them, it's for the best that the Navy doesn't find either where you are or that I'm linked to you, a pirate. Still, I mean each word I will write in them.

I hope you are having a pleasant time with Mister Luffy, Mister Zoro and Miss Nami.

Until we meet again,

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Kaya,

Guess what, being a pirate is hard.

I mean, obviously it wouldn't exactly be a never-ending party. I don't know how to say this, it's been about a week or two, I think? And so much already happened. We met and dragged another crazy monster who doesn't know what pain and normality is, he's a bit of a jerk but he's a great cook. We learnt a bit more about Nami. There is more to that, but I feel like I would invade her privacy, it is her story to tell, not mine. All you need to know is that everything is well.

Yes, being a pirate is hard. We are getting closer to the Grand Line as I'm writing this. But I've never felt so good in my life before. I feel like we can accomplish anything. (Don't tell anyone, but I'm a little afraid. Luffy's dream is crazy, so is Zoro's to be honest and sometimes I have doubts they will ever happen. But what do I know?)

I'm looking forward my dad's face when I'll meet him one day on the other side of the world.

Nami told me it's better that I don't send these to you. I can't call you either, despite the fact that we do have a Transponder Snail, since we already had a bit of a skirmish with the Navy in Loguetown. I want to protect you and the village. I just feel relief writing these.

Hope you're doing good,

Usopp.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I saw you in the newspaper! In the corner of Mister Luffy's bounty! You look so great, I am so delighted to see you are having fun with your journey!

You should see the mansion, there are books scattered everywhere. I study everyday, I learn every complicated word and method. I don't get as easily tired as before, but sometimes my head feels a bit dizzy. Despite Merry and the doctor's requests, I won't stop right now. I love what I am doing too much to stop.

How is the Merry doing? I hope it is proudly bringing you to your destination,

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Kaya,

I'm sorry. I messed up.

The Merry is gone.

We loved it and it loved us. Can you even believe that it protected us and saved us on its own? It had the best life of any ship that sailed on this sea. It overcame so much to bring us even further, it never stopped. It even flew towards the skies once. It was our home.

I was an idiot, I didn't see it and I kept lying to myself. After all, that's my job. Usopp the liar. I'm really the worst. I've been lying all my life, to myself, to everyone, to you. How can you now despise me?

We have a new ship now. It has been a really tough time for us, we lost something dear to us, we almost lost something else. Thankfully, we didn't, we even got another crazy one to join us on our strange adventure. Still, I think I was the most stupid one here, so I guess our pain is my fault in a way. I almost gave up on them, I almost went back to the village. That's who I am, stupid Usopp. But I didn't. I thought about you, about the disappointment in your eyes, so I decided to go back. I have to be brave, so you can be proud of me.

The Thousand Sunny really feels it is Merry's legitimate successor, and its warm presence is still sailing alongside us, I can feel it.

I miss him. I'm really sorry, Kaya. I hope you are not too disappointed in me,

Usopp.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I can't believe you have your own bounty now! You even created yourself a nickname! The children doubted it was you at first, but I will never mistake that nose of yours for someone else's. You are also not fooling the village, the mayor was quite angry at you. Still, you know how he is. He never really forgave your father for leaving your mother and you all alone. We threw a party to celebrate your celebrity and after a few drinks, there was so much pride and happiness on his face. He really loves you.

I won't lie, I fear for your safety. You all angered the Navy at Enies Lobby. But I know you are a pirate, a free and proud man not afraid to show his convictions. If you think it was the right thing to do, I won't judge your choice.

I entirely trust you to be safe,

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I'm scared. The newspaper said that you are all dead, that only mister Luffy survived. It's horrible, what happened to his brother, I didn't know. They say it's the end of the Straw Hats.

I'm scared. If you can, try to show me you're alive?

Please.

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I don't feel lively these days. My hands are shaking quite a bit, it is getting hard to write. It is like the weaker version of myself came back all at once to crush everything I built these past few months.

Merry begged me to stop studying and rest for a week at least, but I feel like it would only bring dishonor to you and me, to our promise. We both wanted to reach our dreams, I have to do it.

The children are sweet, telling me you will never die like this. Their never ending faith in you gives me hope.

I still believe you are out there somehow.

Please.

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

We are close to the second anniversary of the Summit War. If I know the entire world is both celebrating and mourning Whitebeard, yet I don't have the will to think about what this date really means to me.

I know you are doing fine. But give me a sign?

Please.

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

Why aren't you

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I knew you were still alive. I never lost hope.

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Kaya,

I'm sorry I didn't get time to write anything for more than two years now.

What I am saying, I'm not even sending these to you. Whatever.

So much happened, I'm sure you know. I hope I didn't worry you, the children or the village. I probably did, though. Well, I want all of you to know that I've never been better.

It hasn't been easy, I won't lie. For two years, I had to hide from the Navy and train myself for the worst, at Luffy's request. I'll do anything for my crew now. Luffy is the man who is going to become the Pirate King, I never doubted that. (Actually, now that I think of it, I did once? Well, my bad.)

I wanted to write you the moment we got back, the moment when everyone would learn that the Straw Hats are still alive and kicking. But like I said, so much happened. I mean, you probably saw it in the newspapers. We could never catch a break. The alliance with Trafalgar, and everything with the Emperors… Remember the jerk cook I talked about? Well, there was more to it. We almost lost him, like we almost lost Robin, like we did lose Merry. It wasn't easy for me. He is like my best friend and I never knew what he went through.

But we got stronger. All of us. We are doing it, Kaya. We're almost there.

I won't tell you anything now, I want to give you the full story of my adventures the day we'll get to meet each other once again,

Usopp.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

I haven't written for you in years now. I still follow your adventures through the newspapers, but I didn't have time to sit and write a letter as I was getting closer to my dream. Because, you know what?

I did it!

For once, I don't know what to say. I have been working so much to get to where I am now. I am officially a doctor. Carrot became an apprentice so he can open his bar in the future. Pepper is working hard to build a hospital for me and Onion just finished his first novel! See, we are all getting there. I know you will too.

I will wait for you to come back, then I will go on my own, to help anyone who needs a cure.

I feel like the day we'll meet again is getting closer,

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Kaya,

We did it!

I did it! I will take you to Elbaf one day. I smiled and cried and screamed so much my entire face hurts now.

Also, my dad's face was priceless.

I'll get back home soon,

Usopp.

* * *

Dear Usopp,

It was great to see you again. It has been so long since you left. Five years, maybe more? You are not the skinny teenage boy you used to be the last time we saw you. Your crew is so lively and funny, I'm glad you found such a family to travel with. Mister Chopper is now my hero, he can really cure anything! I have so much to learn from him. You grew up a lot. So did I. Did I surprise you? I did change a lot, but you didn't have to cry like you did. You do realize I will never forget that?

We are all proud of you.

I don't know why I am still writing to you, when you're just inside the cabin next to mine, on our way to Elbaf. I guess it is a habit I will never get rid of. Please tell me we will travel together a bit more after this? I want to see the world with you. I could have never left my huge, cold and empty mansion without you. I owe you everything.

I am so proud of you,

Kaya.

* * *

Dear Kaya,

Well, this will probably sound stupid, considering there is only a wall between the two of us. I don't know why I am still writing to you. It's a habit I will never get rid of, I guess.

I'm thinking of giving you every single letter I wrote to you. This is even more stupid, but I guess I grew up or something. I just want you to know my journey from the beginning to the end.

Also, please, forget what you saw when I cried like a baby. It's just, it has been so long since we've seen each other and you grew up and matured so much? I feel like I accomplished nothing. I guess I have enough courage now to say that you are beautiful, Kaya. I know and I admit it, I could have never done this without your endless support. We were oceans apart, but I knew you were out there, telling me to keep going. So I did, for you, for the children and the village.

Elbaf is the best island I've ever visited, you'll love it.

Thanks for always believing in me,

Usopp.

* * *

 **A/N:** So many line breaks.

Took me a while after the 20k mastodon of a thing I published already a month ago to make Sanji suffer but I needed a break and then life happened, but here we are! It's a bit shorter and quite simple, but it was fun to write.

This one was a request from ao3 user NamelessAnami who asked for a phone call or a letter between Usopp and Kaya. I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Straw Hats: Butterfly effect

Thank you to everyone who supports this series, it really warms my heart~

 _Title:_ Butterfly effect  
 _Rating:_ T  
 _Genre:_ Gen  
 _Word count:_ 2,401  
 _Characters:_ Straw Hats pirates  
 _Summary:_ What if that one thing never happened?

* * *

Life is a curious thing, they sometimes think. It is a series of trivial things that has brought them together. Indeed, none of them thought "Those are the men and women I will fight for with my entire being" the first time their eyes noticed a bizarre, worn-out straw hat. They just thought it was fairly stupid for the rest of them to follow without a protest (or only a few half hearted ones) the carefree kid with a D. in his name. And yet, without noticing, they became a part of those so-called idiots.

But they can't help it sometimes. During those late nights during which they drink, eat and laugh together as one, they all think about what could have been if that one thing didn't happen.

So maybe the story goes this way.

A violin in his hands, lyrics on his lips, the musician never stops bringing music to his surroundings, even to the sea itself. The ocean is a difficult listener to please, either pushing his boat with calm, appreciating waves or showing its displeasure with storms. But he loves challenges and they never stopped him. If a child of the sea like Laboon can love his music so much, it means he is more than capable of charming its mother. Which is why one day, when his captain presents him a special fruit known to be tasteless, but powerful, he smiles, shakes his head and says _"I'd rather drown in my lovely sea than run away from her"_ , and he doesn't insist.

And when the musician gets closer to his very last breath, he smiles again, knowing he will not be alone, the only one alive among the dead ones. Somewhere, a growing whale withers away and not even a straw hat boy can bring life to it again.

Brook's skeleton is left among the others and it won't even move again, not even when a certain crew comes across their mangled ship.

But this is not how the story goes.

Instead, maybe a teenager full of rage - but also full of dreams - gets to build as many battleships as he wants. The shipwright is reckless and his mentor can not bring himself to stop him as he does what pleases him. His closest friend's (and low key brother, not that the boy will ever admit it) protests fall into deaf ears. But maybe it would have been wise to listen to him, because the day said mentor has to pay for his crimes, no matter how unfair the two teenagers find the sentence to be, it is too late to go back. And Mister Tom begs the judge to let his two boys go as they still have long lives before them, but he doesn't know that Spandam's manipulating influence goes even deeper than he can imagine. The Navy has crept inside the World's Government and Tom realizes justice doesn't exist anymore when his two sons are executed before him.

And when one day, years later, a certain crew shows up with no fear of the Navy and grateful tears from one of them, no one is here to protect and bring her back home, no one is here to burn the precious blue sheets and no one is here to build a ship worthy of the King and it gives their journey less colors and taste.

Franky's dream ship is left behind and it only lives in simple memories of an old mermaid between two empty bottles.

But this is not how the story goes.

So here is how it can go: the archaeologist has a curious mind, eager to know more and more as she visits countless islands and she flees from the Navy because she knows too much. She learns to defend herself and gives up everything she has in order to stay alive a bit more, because maybe, if she keeps going, maybe she will finally know what happened during the forgotten century. That is all she asks. So she doesn't mind abandoning both her mind and body to Crocodile because if he uses her, she uses him and they are both aware of it. She thinks she lost something on her way towards the Poneglyphs, as she just watches the straw hat boy drown in his blood and in the sand near a casino and Crocodile is on his way to take over Alabasta's throne.

There isn't anyone to pull her out of the crumbling ruins. She smiles and cries and doesn't move as she waits for rocks to crush her.

Robin is left behind as an enemy without knowing she was so close to what she longed for.

But this is not how the story goes.

So why not try this: in a snow covered island, there is a small baby reindeer who is born with a blue nose and it becomes a 'he' when it comes across a certain fruit. He is stuck between being human and being an animal, but he doesn't know what he really is. He does know one thing though: he is angry, angry at his herd, angry at the village that attacked him when he approached it with only hope to offer, angry at the entire world. He runs then, he keeps running until he falls to the ground. He hears a voice, but all he can process is that it is a human voice and _humans did this to him_ and he lets his rage speaks for him.

He leaves a body of an old man behind him and doesn't pay attention to his open suitcase. He has nowhere to go, he has no one and more importantly, the old man who would have given him a dream doesn't exist anymore.

Chopper is left wandering in the thick and lonely forest, full of wrath for both humans and reindeers, without knowing he was so close to get a family.

But this is not how the story goes.

Instead, it can go differently: there is a small cook who hates what he is supposed to become because he doesn't want to kill, he wants to give life just like his mother's warm smile brings him life. Still, his heart is too big for his weak body covered in bruises and for the ruthless kingdom he is born in. At least, his mother is a welcomed comfort and no matter how terrible of a cook he is, she encourages him and suddenly his siblings and his father's cruel words and beatings are forgotten. Yet, one day, the only source of warmth in his life vanishes and he is all alone, imprisoned in a cold cell that smothers his cries for help. Perhaps in this version of the story, his sister doesn't have enough bravery, she loves him too much to let him go and she blinds herself to his agony. So she doesn't set him free and the boy just lets himself die of hunger when he forgets why he was down there, even when the guards force his mouth open to put food down his throat.

One day, a crew arrives with the idea of taking down the kingdom's newest ally, an Emperor. (Surprisingly, they made it so far without a competent cook.) Once it is done, they all turn toward the empty cells of the destroyed moving castle and it feels like they are forgetting something, something important and even Luffy is frowning and staring. They exchange a stare and shiver, as if something is missing.

Sanji's skinny corpse is left forgotten as they go on.

But this is not how the story goes.

Does it go this way then? In a peaceful East Blue village lives a happy family, with a father who longs for adventures, a mother who doesn't mind letting him go and a boy whose love for stories give him a creative mind. In this version of the story, Yasopp decides to stay a bit more with his wife and son, and Shanks doesn't mind staying on this island to wait for the skilled sharpshooter to be ready to leave. He wants this particular man to join his crew and he does not give up easily. So when another pirate sets foot on this island with the idea to rob the treasures of its richest family, Shanks does not even give him enough time to settle down as the butler, because he is a pirate himself and instantly knows what this one is up to.

It means that there isn't anything to protect when another pirate with a straw hat arrives years later, and Yasopp's son has already left for his own adventures, confident that he can make it on his own. He does, he travels all around the world, but he does not make it as far as he would have if he had stayed a bit more in his homeland.

Usopp's story is left in books, but not in minds as he doesn't find what he was looking for.

But this is not how the story goes.

How about this then: there is a small girl who dreams of a world map, something that has never been done before and she intends to do it. The entire village encourages her despite her schemes and strong character. Nonetheless, it doesn't last as the perfect life despite their poor meals is destroyed in the blink of an eye. She becomes a slave and a pirate, her shoulder hurts from the sting of the tattooed blue ink. Her pen is stained with blood and her maps with salty tears. She knows everyone in the village now hates her, but she still decides to risk everything to save them. It doesn't matter how long it will take, she says to herself. She steals from her fellow pirates as she grows to hate them even more each day. Yet, she is wise enough not to cross path with Buggy the Clown one day. His map that leads to the Grand Line is not worth it. That way, she doesn't get to meet the self-proclaimed pirate captain with a dumb grin and his new first mate who has an even dumber mindset.

Instead, she keeps serving Arlong for years, who one day decides to leave the East Blue to go back to Fishman Island. He takes her with him and forms an alliance with another crazy fishmen plotting to destroy the human race, but she still follows along because she doesn't have anywhere else to go. (Her village has long been destroyed, she doesn't know where her sister is and her mother's tombstone has disappeared.) A rookie pirate with a straw hat manages to stop everything and her captain has fallen; she is like lost at sea without a compass. She is covered in fishmen blood and shark tattoos so much that she doesn't remember she is human anymore.

Nami's shaking form is left behind in Fishman Island as her heart that she lost long ago is too far for them to notice her.

But this is not how the story goes.

Can it go like this? There is a boy full of ambitions somewhere. He doesn't think much, this one. However, he has enough resolve to make it up for it, no matter how dumb it can sound sometimes. If his swords can not cut stone, then he has to try again until it works. Quite a stubborn one, then. So when he meets a girl much stronger than him, he decides he will not keep going until he beats her. And because he is a boy- a man of his word, he stays at this dojo for several years. He learns how to respect people weaker than him, but also people stronger than him. He learns a lot, like how even stronger ones can have doubts and fears, like Kuina has. He yells at her, of course, because he admires her and doesn't want to even imagine her crying like she does because she is a woman.

He admires her so much he follows her almost anywhere, hoping to beat her one day. She is clumsy though, as she almost falls down the stairs. It is a good thing he manages to catch her; she laughs and calls him an idiot upon seeing his distressed face. They grow up together, and it is still together that they challenge the world. Soon, they are known as the strongest swordsman and swordswoman duo that has ever existed.

Zoro is left aside because he does not suffer from the loss of his role model.

But this is not how the story goes.

Let's try one more time then. There is a boy with dark hair and a toothy smile who dreams of joining his hero. He even stabs his own face to prove it because he is straightforward like that. His hero loses his arm for him, but something changes as they say goodbye. Shanks ruffles the disheveled hair in affection, but he does not put down the straw hat on it. Perhaps he fears the boy is too young and he doesn't want guilt on his shoulders.

No one really knows, but it changes everything. The boy departs on his old fishing boat threatening to fall apart. He meets a swordsman, a cartographer, a liar, a cook, a doctor, an archaeologist, a shipwright, a musician, but none of them joins him on his journey because they all feel like something is missing. Other people join him, but it never feels right.

Luffy's dream is left in shambles because he is never known as the Straw Hat boy.

Yet, this is not how the story goes.

Instead, different lines are written for this story that you all know. Luffy obtains his treasured hat, Zoro never forgets the sight of his best friend's corpse, Nami is brave enough to confront the clown, Usopp's father leaves and his son gets to fight like the warrior he aspires to be, Sanji is set free before he can let himself die, Chopper hears an old man's voice who gives him a pink hat, Robin pulls up the boy from the sand, Franky gets to live while his mentor doesn't and Brook eats the fruit because adventures are always born with crazy actions.

This is how the story goes and the Straw Hats wouldn't change anything.

* * *

I honestly just wrote this tonight in one go. I had a sudden inspiration for a 'what if?' kind of story for absolutely no reason, so here we go!

It is my first time writing in present tense in English, so things may sound a little awkward... Hope you enjoyed nonetheless!

Come visit me at my tumblr if you want (a-ngyie)!


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